Fluke Regs this year

[jcstriper1]

Just something to throw around. What's your opinion on the upcoming fluke regs? Does anyone think it will stay the same as last year or some type of size and amount change? what's your thoughts on this just to kick around.

John

[Merle31483]

3 fish at 18" is hard enough to achieve... If they decide to go to a 19" minimum size the daily limit should at least be brought back to 5 fish whatever works for the comerical fishery is gonna set the bar for the recreational fisherman in other words we are gonna probably get screwed in some shape or form

[FlukeU2]

I’d be happy with 5 fish at 19”. We had so many trips throwing back multiple 20”+ fish back cause we already have a boat limit of fish

[Cuz]

The party and charter boats will be choked out of business with a 19" limit. Hard to get many that size in late July and all of August. It cost about $115 for a family of four to fish on a half day boat. Add food, drinks, gas, tolls. That's an easy $175. How many trips with no fillets to bring home is a man going to pay for during the course of the fluke season? Maybe two. And 3/4 day party and charters boats cost three times as much. With all the rules and regulations today it's not even fun to go fishing. Depressing to say the least.

Originally Posted by FlukeU2

I’d be happy with 5 fish at 19”. We had so many trips throwing back multiple 20”+ fish back cause we already have a boat limit of fish

Even better let's make it 7 fish at 23". This would as already pointed out put the nail in the coffin for Party and Charter boats and coincide with an increase to the commercial quota resulting in even greater damage to the overall fishery. There's one answer here gentlemen, slot limit re-introduced, shut the fishery down to commercial harvest for two months during the spawn and take pressure off the female composition of the biomass.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by FlukeU2

I’d be happy with 5 fish at 19”. We had so many trips throwing back multiple 20”+ fish back cause we already have a boat limit of fish

I am happy for you and the anglers you fish with.. You must all have a terrific skill set, as most of us just can't muster those kinds of numbers on any given day during the year, let alone with the consistency alluded to in your reply..


I realize there are some guys out there with the right boats that can get out to the deep water broken bottom and get a limit + every time.. However, most are using boats with limited range and must stay closer to shore, and in bays and tidal rivers. Others fluke fish on crowded party boats, or off jetties, piers, docks, inlets, the surf, etc... Tough for guys in those positions to get even say 2 keepers at 18'.. Honestly, a slot limit is THE ONLY way to keep the population in balance, and get the available fish distributed among all fluke anglers in an equitable manner.bob

[hartattack]

SLOTS gaining traction for several species: http://www.mafmc.org/actions/sfsbsb-...-management-fw

Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Framework Framework on Conservation Equivalency, Block Island Sound Transit, and Slot Limits
The Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) jointly manage summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. The Council and the ASMFC are developing a joint framework action and addendum to consider adding the following management options to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan:

Conservation equivalency for the recreational black sea bass fishery,

Conservation equivalency rollover for summer flounder

Transit provisions for Block Island Sound for recreational and/or commercial fisheries for all three species, and

Slot limits for recreational fisheries for all three species

[hammer4reel]

Should have pushed for the slot fish instead of asking for status quo.
Would more than likely had a better chance then instead of having the refs shoved down our throats we got .

As far as only some boats being able to get to the fish to fulfill a limit at 18”.
BS.
WAS plenty of fish well under 3 miles from any marina last year north of Barney for sure , right through to Statin island .

Not just a few boats having limit trips daily , was lots of boats doing it .

.

[Detour66]

3@ 16.5"....2 @ 18"- 21" ... 1 trophy fish with tag! (21" +)

Originally Posted by Detour66

3@ 16.5"....2 @ 18"- 21" ... 1 trophy fish with tag! (21" +)

Don't mean to stir the pot here but I think it's important for us all to understand what's happening. I know I'm a broken record on this topic but it's important enough to me and should be to everyone including the many business owners associated with the fishery so I'll accept that risk.

Two years ago, Dan (hammer4reel) and I, attended the public meeting in south NJ along with a hundred or so other people, a few from this site. Based on data included in the ASMFC Draft Addendum XXVlll handout, specifically the two attached charts addressing Recruitment (egg reproduction) and Catch (2nd and 3rd charts), I put together a data table to analyze trends over the last 20 - 30 years. A portion of that data table is reflected in the first chart which includes Recruitment, Total Catch (recreational and commercial combined), Spawning Stock Biomass (SSB) and Recreational Size Limits.

Years covered are 1982 thru 2015. Numbers are rounded but representative of the data NMFS and ASMFC are basing their regulatory decisions on. The recruitment numbers are in thousands so for example in 1982, 61,000 is actually 61,000,000. PLEASE review the trends for each category in the first chart and it tells the entire story. Compare 1982 to 2015 individual years if you want the Reader's Digest version of whats happened. Egg reproduction was approximately 61,000,000 in '82 vs approximately 23,000,000 in '15. Catch 25,000 metric tons in '82 vs. 7,500 in '15. SSB (biomass) 24,000 metric tons in '82 vs. 36,250 in '15, an almost 50% increase. Also note the biomass was as high as 50,000 metric tons in 2002 and has been decreasing ever since. Size limit '82, there wasn't one compared to 18" in '15. Since NY/NJ combined harvest makes up about 85% of the annual fluke harvest, I used the weighted average of just those two states to arrive at average regulatory size limits each year.

The most significant relationship in the analysis which should be the primary focus of NMFS and ASMFC is egg reproduction decreasing from 61 million to 23 million from '82 to '15 while the biomass increased from 24,000 metric tons to 36,250 metric tons. Keep in mind again it reached a high of 50,000 metric tons in 2002. While the biomass exploded upward, egg reproduction fell off the cliff. That's a relational statistic that should jump out at everyone and be the single most important issue fisheries management is focused on. In reality, it doesn't appear to even be on their radar screen. You'll notice egg reproduction started tanking when size limits approached 17", the cross over point in Rutgers "Size and Sex Study" when 90% - 95% of all fluke at or over that size are females. Coincidence, not a chance.

Reason I bring this up is based on the two options Detour66 posted. In my opinion, there's really only one option, 3 @ 16.5". Option 2, 2 @18"-21" and a special bonus tag for one over 21" will only intensify the pressure on female fluke and kill Party and Charter boat businesses. NMFS and ASMFC have their heads in the sand if these are truly the options they're considering. Any option which doesn't address the decline in egg reproduction shouldn't even be considered. AND until commercial harvest during the spawn is addressed, the current state of the fishery won't improve. I'm not suggesting commercial quotas be cut, they should be reallocated to times of the year that won't coincide with and disrupt the spawn. For a fishery supposedly spiraling downward as much as this one to allow commercial harvest during the primary spawn without understanding the consequences on egg reproduction which is off approximately 75% - 80% from historical highs is inexplicable and essentially gross negligence by NMFS and ASMFC.